Livin 'on a prayer
| Livin 'on a prayer | |
|---|---|
| Bon Jovi | |
| publication | October 31, 1986 |
| length | 4:11 |
| Genre (s) | Hard rock |
| Author (s) | Jon Bon Jovi , Richie Sambora , Desmond Child |
| Producer (s) | Bruce Fairbairn |
| album | Slippery When Wet |
Livin 'on a Prayer is a 1986 Bon Jovi song written by Jon Bon Jovi , Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child . It appeared on the album Slippery When Wet . The song is one of the band's most famous hits.
history
The song is about the working couple Tommy and Gina. They represent the average New Jersey residents of the 1980s, who portray the stereotype of poor workers versus high-income New Yorkers ("Tommy used to work on the docks" and "Gina works the diner all day"). Bon Jovi hereby underlines the couple's connection to their home state New Jersey, a concern that the band had pursued since their formation. According to the musicians, the main task of the song should be to give people hope that they will survive everything ("We're half way there, [...] take my hand, we'll make it I swear").
"I wrote this song during the Reagan era and the trickle down economy is really inspiring to write songs ..."
Jon Bon Jovi didn't like the song at first and didn't want it on the Slippery When Wet album as he also had difficulty singing the high notes in the song. Richie Sambora, on the other hand, liked the song very much and convinced him to revise Livin 'on a Prayer with new guitar solos, new drum rhythms and the use of a talk box that can be heard in the intro of the song. Since then it has been used more frequently by the band, for example in their 2000 single It's My Life .
The first version as a demo was released as a hidden track in 2004 in the CD box 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong , another version can be found on the US version of their best-of album Cross Road : Prayer '94 . The band's anniversary album, This Left Feels Right , also features Livin 'on a Prayer , in the Prayer '94 version. Jon Bon Jovi sings with Olivia d'Abo the first duet on a release of the band. Bon Jovi then worked on other songs with other artists in the course of the next two studio albums.
The rock song was released on October 24, 1986, and became a number one hit in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Norway.
The album version lasts 4:11 minutes and ends with a fadeout , but in the music video game Guitar Hero World Tour it has a completely different ending: It ends like the beginning with the talk box and the guitar. This version lasts 4:23 minutes and is also in the video games Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3 . An even longer version of the song with a duration of 5:07 minutes can be found on the album's DualDisc, which was released in 2005 .
The acoustic version of Livin 'on a Prayer (the version Jon and Richie played at the VMA's 1989, or the 1994 version known as Prayer '94 ) changes the dynamics of the song. The consistently cheerful mood, a happy ending for the album version, is called into question. The band played this version mostly on special occasions, for example when Bon Jovi was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006 or at their MTV Unplugged performances in New York in 2007.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 , Bon Jovi performed a live acoustic version of the song in memory of the dead and in the presence of the bereaved. A similar live acoustic version can also be found on the sampler America: A Tribute to Heroes . It was also played live at the 2010 Grammy Awards .
In VH1 's list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s and in the music show U Choose 40 of the New Zealand station C4 reached Livin 'on a Prayer Place 1. After the appearance at the Lost Hight Way Tour in New Zealand, the song entered the music charts again from New Zealand.
Some of the following Bon Jovi songs have a lyrical reference to Livin 'on a Prayer , for example: 99 in the Shade (1988), Fear (1992), It's My Life (2000), and Novocaine (2005).
Music video
The music video was filmed on September 17, 1986 at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles , California and directed by Wayne Isham . At the beginning of the video you can see the silhouettes of the band members, then they run to the stage, rehearse the settings and then perform the song. The first half of the clip was shot in black and white and the second half in color.
The music video won a prize in the Best Stage Performance in a Video category at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards .
reception
Chart placements
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Chart placements | ||
 Germany (GfK)
|
20th (18 weeks) | 18th |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
|
12 (12 weeks) | 12 |
 United Kingdom (OCC)
|
4th (22 weeks) | 22nd |
 United States (Billboard)
|
1 (22 weeks) | 22nd |
Awards for music sales
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
||
 Italy (FIMI)
|
 platinum
|
50,000 |
 Japan (RIAJ)
|
platinum
|
250,000 |
 Canada (MC)
|
 gold
|
50,000 |
|
United States (RIAA)
|
3 × platinum
|
3,000,000 |
|
United Kingdom (BPI)
|
platinum
|
600,000 |
| All in all |
1 × gold 6 × platinum |
3,950,000 |
Main article: Bon Jovi / Music Sales Awards
Cover versions
- 1995: Eläkeläiset
- 1998: Geoff Downes
- 1998: Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers (Rock the Party)
- 2004: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- 2005: Stellar Kart
- 2005: Tori Amos
- 2006: Rico Bernasconi (Cisco Disko)
- 2007: Groove Coverage
- 2007: top model fur
- 2007: The Chipmunks
- 2009: Kidz Bop
- 2009: Looptroop Rockers
- 2010: BulletBoys
- 2012: Sungha Jung
- 2012: Tarja Turunen (Where Were You Last Night / Heaven Is A Place On Earth / Livin 'On A Prayer)
- 2014: Helene Fischer (Rock Medley)
- 2015: Hayseed Dixie
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bon Jovi calls George Bush as 'lunatcic'! Retrieved July 25, 2020 (English).
- ↑ More GRAMMY Performers, Presenters Announced .
- ↑ Beyonce Swift Boated .
- ↑ Music video on Youtube.com
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: Charts DE Charts CH Charts UK Charts US